Losing Joe’s Place
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Losing Joe’s Place
by Gordon Korman (1990)
My son has been trumpeting this book for years, and I’m glad I finally got to it in the stack; it’s fun, funny, quick, entertaining, and has positive messages without being heavy in the message department.
Jason and two friends are set for a teenage boy’s dream summer, complete with bachelor pad, Camaro, and no parents. But before the all-to-typical Hollywood version of the “dream summer” can develop, Jason and buds face situations that require them to think and get creative to solve problems, as well as get along with several interesting characters. It’s not pure realism, but connectible to many real world situations.
why I picked it up: Son #2 can be very insistent, and I needed a lighter read after a few bouts with cancer and racism.
why I finished it: A lot of interesting characters, plus I related to Jason, the jobless and housekeeping lead.
who I would give it to:** Boys and girls, overachievers, chefs, kids with older brothers.
*minor quibble: Joe, the big brother, is supposedly a studly and intimidating model/body builder, but dude on the cover looks mighty skinny…
**shouldn’t that be “to whom would this I give” or something like that?
"Unshelved" — Librarians and Book Reviews
Great site! Not only do the comics crack me up, but I easily get 3-4 reading suggestions from each weeks’ reviews, from graphic novels to YA to adult books. And I like the new review elements such as why I picked it up and why I finished it — good idea for student book report/reviews too.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Each year the Deschutes County Public Library picks a novel and encourages the whole community to read it. This year’s “A Novel Idea” is The Help. This novel is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960’s and focuses on the lives of black maids in white households.
This was a very interesting novel to read. It was not a tradition to have maids where I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and so this is a window into a whole different life where a woman invites another woman into her house to clean it and to raise her children. Added to the mix is that the maids were always black and that segregation was in full force during this time period. One of the maids in the story, Aibileen, has to listen to a discussion about building a separate bathroom for her in the garage so that she won’t “contaminate” the inside bathrooms.
The main plot is that a white woman, Skeeter, has returned home and is hoping to break into journalism. She sees how Aibileen is treated at her friend’s house and comes up with the idea of writing the stories of black maids. Aibileen agrees to do it and after much coercing and some traumatic events finds other maids that are also willing to talk with Skeeter. During this time period Medgar Evers is shot in Jackson and the author brings that into the story. It highlights the danger these maids are exposing themselves to by simply telling their stories, even anonymously.
It did take me some time to get into the dialect used in parts of the story. The story is told by alternating from the points of view of Skeeter, Aibileen, and another maid Minny. I also found it hard to believe the characterization of some of the white women in the story. For example, Skeeter’s friend, Elizabeth, seems to really dislike her own child. It is an interesting look into the everyday lives of people who were not actively engaged in the civil rights movement, yet were impacted by it, either by trying to keep the old ways of segregation or by trying to live in a different, and at that time, unacceptable way.
In looking at the events the library will be putting on around this book, it is great to see there will be some discussions about segregation and civil rights leaders as well as demonstrations of Southern cooking. I’m hoping they’ll add some events for kids.
Author Interview: Justin Somper
Justin Somper is the hugely popular author of the Vampirates series. His fifth book, Empire of Night, is now available in the UK, and is published by Simon & Schuster. A big thanks to Justin for taking the time to answer all my questions!
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Mixing vampires and pirates is such an unusual premise, and isn’t something I’ve encountered before. What was your inspiration for this unlikely pairing?
It all began with the word VAMPIRATES literally dropping into my head one day. A veritable “Eureka!” moment. I had shivers up my spine as I knew that, in many ways, this was “the big idea” I’d been waiting for as a writer. It was also quite scary though because I knew very little about vampires and absolute zilch about pirates and I knew I’d have to get up to speed on both to find out the right way to blend them together. It was intimidating, but exhilarating, dealing with these challenges as a fairly new author.
Why did you choose to set the story in the future?
For several reasons. One was that I thought that I could make a subtle point about global warming and sea-level rise and that this would provide a certain logic to a new dawn of piracy. Another was to enable me to have strong female protagonists on the pirate side of the story (there aren’t too many famous female pirates in history). I also wanted to confound expectation and I guess everyone would expect a story like this to be set in the past. Finally, I guess I thought it would give me an element of control over the world – rather than feeling that I had to tie it into a specific historic era. In the latter case, that was possibly evidence of my inexperience as a writer. Creating this new world was one of the more challenging aspects of the sequence; although now it is up and running, I’m very comfortable with it.
In some ancient lore, vampires can’t cross natural running water. Did you always intend to create your own contemporary mythology?
I think that the wealth and diversity of vampire myths encourages, indeed compels, you to take the elements that call to you and weave them into something fresh. Remember too, that as I say I didn’t come at this idea from being a complete vampire afficionado. I did spend a good amount of time ahead of the first book sifting through various myths and working out which I wanted to play more strongly on than others. I think a very key element of VAMPIRATES is that it is often unclear who are the “goodies” and who are the “baddies”. I like this uncertainty. It’s certainly not the case in my books that if you are a pirate, you are good and if you are a vampire, you’re bad. It comes down to what you will do to satisfy your appetite (whether that appetite is for riches, fame, violence or blood itself) and I suppose how you treat those around you.
Do you have a favourite character from the Vampirates series?
I’m pretty fond of them all really. They’re kind of like family to me now. For a long time, my favourite was Sidorio but I think he may just have been eclipsed by Lola because she is so wicked in such a delicious way. I’m also very keen on Johnny and Stukeley. I think Johnny has a hard time of it from fans because Lorcan is so popular with them – I’m on a mission to get them to like Johnny more. And I think Stukeley is a really intriguing character because he’s crossed from the pirate side of the story to the Vampirate realm and has allegiances to characters on “both sides”. He was originally supposed to come into the story, die in a duel and stay dead but he’s definitely lasted the distance. Then again, as I’ve said before, you couldn’t wish for a more trustworthy mate than Bart. This question is too hard. More importantly, I want to know who is YOUR favourite?
[Jenny: Lorcan, of course! 
]
I love the sea shanty featured in Demons of the Ocean, and often find myself singing it. Was it easy to come up with?
Actually it was. Which is surprising as I am completely unmusical. The shanty really kind of wrote itself in my head while I was immersed in research about pirates and vampires. You may have noticed that there are some other songs and verses in the books. I’m particularly pleased with The Pirate’s Prayer which first appears in TIDE OF TERROR – at Jez’s funeral – and then again in EMPIRE OF NIGHT. I also like the Vampirate Incantation in the new book. I generally perform the shanty at events (and indeed on my website) but, contrary to rumours, I NEVER sing it. So i’d like to know what tune you’ve set it to.
Do you have to a lot of research in order to write a Vampirates book, or do you use your own existing knowledge?
I do a steady stream of research. In the early days, it was about getting the big picture stuff right, setting up the architecture of the story and these futuristic (but rather post-apocalyptic) worlds of pirates and Vampirates. That research also helped to shape some of the key characters. For instance, I found out that Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates but escaped and had his captors killed. I plundered this for Sidorio’s “origin” story. Similarly, I found out about a Chinese pirate called Cheng I Sao and borrowed some elements of her for Cheng Li. When I came to create Johnny, I initially had in mind a stereotypical blonde-haired, blue-eyed cowboy but my research into cowboys drew me to change him into a vacquero. This, I think, has made him a far more interesting character and much more likely to intrigue Grace who, like me – like all of us I suspect – is intrigued by outsider figures. Aside from developing characters, I generally have Wikipedia on the go, whether I’m researching unusual weaponry, palomino horses, famous chefs or painters – all of which feature in the new book.
Thanks to two very feisty characters, the series appeals to both boys and girls of all ages. Have you had a positive reaction from female readers?
Absolutely and I’m delighted about that. I completely set out to do the girls, as well as the boys, justice. I haven’t set out consciously to create role-models but I’m satisfied that it isn’t just Grace but Jasmine, Bo Yin, Cate, Cheng Li, Sugar Pie, Trofie, Lola and many others who demonstrate girl-power in the books. I’m also really pleased that the preponderence of strong female characters hasn’t proved a turn-off for boy readers. My mail suggests that there’s a pretty even split amongst my readers.
Do you have any say in your US/UK cover designs, and do you have a personal preference?
Honest answer is that I have very minimal say and so I tend to just let the publishers get on with it and do what they feel is right for the books in their market. That said, the VAMPIRATES books are published in 34 countries and 24 languages and there are only one or two jackets I’m not keen on. Right now, my favourite three jackets are the UK and US editions of EMPIRE OF NIGHT and the Japanese edition of BLOOD CAPTAIN Volume One. This one has Trofie Wrathe’s golden hand emblazoned on it and reminds me of a retro James Bond jacket. It rocks. I think both the UK and US covers for EMPIRE OF NIGHT are suitably dark and brooding which is in complete sympathy with the story inside.
Which books did you like to read as a child?
A very wide range of books including classics like THE SECRET GARDEN (you may have noticed it pops up in BLOOD CAPTAIN), anything by Roald Dahl but especially CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the NARNIA stories, lashings of Enid Blyton (my fave is called THE BOY NEXT DOOR) and THE HARDY BOYS mysteries. Also a very funny series of books by Helen Cresswell called THE BAGTHORPES SAGA. This deserves a renaissance.
Can you tell us anything about book #6, and what’s in store for Grace and Connor?
I can’t tell you very much, I’m afraid as I’m really conscious of not spoiling readers’ enjoyment before they finish EMPIRE OF NIGHT. I’m currently quite far on in the plotting process and, behind me, my office floor is knee deep in graph paper and coloured post-its as I’m working on my chapter grids. I have tried to make each book in the sequence more exciting and tightly plotted than the one before. So far, I think I’ve succeeded. Book 6 is going to be a really important one for me as it will tie up a lot of loose ends in the story. It’s a bit scary but I have a good feeling about it.
If you could sail the seas with one fictional vampire and one pirate from any form of media, who would you choose and why?
Clearly, I have to stay loyal to my own characters so I’m going to choose Cheng Li as the pirate (not least because I really like her state-of-the-art ship, The Tiger). And, for vampires, I’m going to choose Sidorio. I have a sneaking feeling he and I would get on very well.
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Related links:
- Justin’s site: Vampirates.co.uk
- UK publisher’s site: Simon & Schuster Children’s
- My review: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
Review: Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Paperback
Released: March 4th, 2010
Grade rating: B+
Amazon summary:
Dr Proctor is an ageing inventor just waiting for his big break. And when he teams up with his next-door neighbour Lise and her peculiar friend Nilly in making the world’s most powerful fart powder, it seems his dream may be coming true. But the ruthless twins Truls and Trym Thrane are lurking in the background just waiting to spoil their plans. The drama that follows has repercussions that stretch beyond the imagination, inolving a wild chase through the sewer system of Oslo, anacondas and NASA.
Review:
Sometimes what every reader needs is a book that will make them laugh uncontrollably. Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder did just that for me, and I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to read it, as it’s not something I would have bought myself.
Nesbo’s story of an eccentric inventor and a boy with a very small head was originally published in his native Norway in 2007, and has finally been flawlessly translated into English. It’s stylishly illustrated by Mike Lowery, with the drawings being quite simple, but very effective. Nilly really does look like the world’s smallest boy when compared to bullies Truls and Trym, and his shock of red hair on the cover image gives you a fantastic idea of what this little inventor-in-waiting looks like.
The plot is funny and random, with a hint of the weird thrown in when a giant anaconda turns up in the Norwegian sewer system. It has big teeth, and a name and everything (Anna Conda, heehee!) — scary or what? Thankfully, Nilly isn’t scared of what’s lying in wait underground and, after much deliberation and a brush with death, he finds himself well on the way to saving the day. It just shows that small people can be just as brave as others, and Nilly is a great way to prove that point.
I really enjoyed Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder, much to my (and everyone else’s) surprise. I chuckled my way through it, wished someone near me would invent something so fun, and am now looking forward to reading the future adventures of Doctor Proctor, Nilly and Lisa. I wonder what they’ll come up with next?!
An apologetic horoscope
Scorpio: The internet holds a fraction less charm for you this week; your forty-eighth favourite literary blogger has derelicted her posting duty, and only a mid-week apology appears in its usual concentric — Ikea ‘Gustav’ desk, black Apple MacBook screen, Mozilla Firefox, Google Reader — hull. ‘Can you employ ‘concentric’ when speaking of rectangular shapes,’ you ponder.
Even while you excogitate this mystery of meaning, you are not certain whether to be fatigued or merely bored by the insipid excuses she offers. Despite her vow that the swift pace of her life has resulted in such muddle-headedness that she has today mistaken both a plain notebook and a collection of Le Fanu stories for her diary, ‘Fie ‘pon her,’ you think, ‘Blogs are for posting.’
But while you may feel irritated to a minor degree for this transgression, you may also take comfort in the fact that the internet will surely fail. So buck up, rehearse your rendition of a favourite sonnet, and rejoice in the knowledge that strawberry ice-cream, at least, has survived to this golden age.
Donna Matrazzo to Read Tonight
Donna Matrazzo was an unlikely candidate to become a grassroots environmentalist. She grew up in the steel town of Braddock, Pennsylvania, in a neighborhood choked by railroad tracks and the steel mill, with no connection to the natural world. Books became her only window into nature and the outdoors, and she embraced them with a passion.
She moved to Portland with her husband, living in the Laurelhurst neighborhood for five years. While living there, they began kayaking around the Sauvie Island area and decided that’s where they wanted to live. Now they’ve lived on Sauvie Island for more than twenty years, in a house on an acre and a half, with a 75-acre state natural area across the road.
Donna is a writer by trade, writing and editing books, articles, film scripts, and other documents in the areas of science, health, history, and nature. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, on PBS and The Discovery Channel, and in national park visitor centers and museums around the country. She has also written a writing textbook and a feature film screenplay, The Evening Land.
When Donna first moved to Sauvie Island, she began keeping a journal, something she thought might someday become a book of serene nature observations. Four months after they moved to the island, they heard about a farmer who wanted to sell his land to a Japanese developer to build a tournament-level golf course, and Donna’s career in environmental activism and stewardship of the land began and the journal evolved to incorporate discussions of conservation battles. After taking an essay-writing class from John Daniel — one of Broadway Books’ favorite authors — the journal began to gel into the book she published last year: Wild Things: Adventures of a Grassroots Environmentalist. The book was a finalist for the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction in the 2009 Oregon Book Awards.
Typically when you write film scripts, Donna says, you have two or three stories woven together. And that’s what happened in writing this book, as multiple stories wound around each other.
Barbara J. Scot, a neighbor on the island and an author herself, has this to say about the book: “Donna Matrazzo’s writing reflects a rare sensitivity to the complexity of environmental activism and the special courage needed to stand up within one’s immediate community. Wild Things is both poignant and practical, a personal journal through familiar land-use battles.”
Bill McKibben, educator, environmentalist, and the author of The End of Nature and Deep Economy, among other books, says, “The planet needs more friends like Donna Matrazzo — and it needs more books like this one, which remind us that we’re all quite capable of making big and useful changes.”
Sauvie Island, about ten miles north of downtown Portland, is an island that is about the same size and shape as Manhattan Island, yet it is home to only about 500-600 households, about 1000-1200 people, and more than 300 species of wildlife. The first inhabitants of the island were the Multnomah tribe of the Chinook Indians. Sadly their population was decimated in the fever epidemic in 1829. The island was named Wappatoe Island by Lewis and Clark when they explored the area in 1805-06. The island’s modern name comes from Laurent Sauve, a French dairyman who was sent to the island by the Hudson Bay Company to raise cattle.
Donna is one of the founding members of the Sauvie Island Conservancy and of the Oregon Ocean Paddling Society (also known as “OOPS”). She serves on the advisory board for the Columbia River Water Trail, is a Certified Schoolyard Wildlife Steward, and has worked part-time for Audubon and as a sea kayak guide.
The majority of environmental activists are ordinary people, says Donna, like-minded people who come together to work intensely on an issue they feel passionate about, often leading to the development of strong and lasting friendships. She describes environmental activism as being to a great extent about “fun, friendship, and food,” although one suspects it’s more work than that description sounds. In the prologue to her book, Donna writes about the development of grassroots environmentalists: “First comes a deep passion of place. Then the courage to speak up when that place becomes threatened. Then change, and all that change enables.”
We hope you will join us at Broadway Books tonight at 7 pm to hear Donna Matrazzo read from her book, Wild Things: Adventures of a Grassroots Environmentalist, and discuss her adventures.
Dream Weaver
During school visits I often ask students if they ever get story ideas from their dreams. Usually a couple of students nod or raise their hands. And I know writers who keep a notebook beside their beds to record their dreams before the images slip away. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to share some info about dreams—mine in particular.
Most nights I love dreaming. When I dream, my subconscious mind makes me the star of my own adventure. But the first dream I remember was terrifying. I was lying in my crib “wide awake” when a conga line of huge, transparent insects and worms paraded around the railing. At the same time a dark-haired boy and girl were staging a boxing match in the corner of my ceiling. I screamed for my parents because I was certain I was awake.
After that terrifying experience I took control of my dreams. If something awful were about to happen I’d stop the action and change the scene so that it worked out well for me. From then on, I enjoyed my dreams. In fact, I liked some of them so much that I’d carry them over from night to night. In the morning I’d mark my place in the dream, and the next night I’d proceed with the story from the stopping point. Sometimes I’d continue the same dream for several nights in a row until I got bored with it and decided to dream something else.
Another part of dreaming I love is being different characters—male and female–in exotic settings. A point of interest to me is that I’m always my own age or younger, never older. Naturally, I have a range of superhuman talents. I float but rarely fly, escape from evil space aliens, and excel in hand-to-hand combat. Oddly, I can’t read in my dreams. Sometimes I make out a word on a sign, but if I’m handed a letter or a book, the words blur into indecipherable symbols.
Here are a few other dream facts:
I dream in Technicolor, have “normal” conversations, and usually have a task to complete.
If I’m doing something impossible like levitating, I “test” myself to see if it’s real. Since I usually pass the test I’m often disappointed in the morning.
Some recurring elements in my dreams are dessert buffets, animals—real and imaginary, antiques and knickknacks, and having adventures with my high school friends and/or celebrities.
Saturday night, Ellen Degeneres and I had a jumping contest on a high platform above a crowd of people. Although our jumping abilities were closely matched, at the top of my last jump I decided to hover in the air for a while. I won.
After decades of spectacular dreaming, I should have come up with at least one decent story idea. Not even close.
So I’m asking all you writers and dreamers out there, have you dreamed up any stories, song lyrics, poems, etc. that have held up in the light of day? If not, any recurring or bizarre dreams you’d like to share? Come on, they can’t be worse than mine!
Book Giveaway- The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
We are giving away a copy of Matthew Reilly’s The 5 Greatest Warriors. Many thanks to the good people at Simon & Schuster.
As always, if you’d like to enter, please email megalithbooks [at] gmail.com. Put “Reilly Giveaway” or “5 Greatest Warriors Giveaway” in the header. Please put your name and mailing address in the body of the email. We’ll announce the winner Sunday night.
